Tube cleaner



Patented Jan. 23, 1945 TUBE CLEANER Carl A. Stine, Van Nuys, Calif., assignor to Turco Products, Inc, Los Angeles, Calif., a corporav tion of California Application May 1, 1943, Serial No. 485,281

1 Claim.

This invention relates to tube cleaning apparatus and has more particularly to do with devices for cleaning objects such as the barrels of guns, cannon and the like, although it is adapted for use in cleaning any tubular object.

It is one of the principal objects of the invention to provide a cleaner capable of subjecting the ,tube surface to be cleaned alternately to brushing action and solvent and washing action.

It is another object to provide a device capable of progressively subjecting the surface to be cleaned to the action of brushes and solvent pools.

A further object is to provide a cleaner embodying eiiicient means for collecting and removing foreign matter removed from the tube surface.

A still further object is the provision of a simple, effective and easily operated device in which the brush elements may be readily removed and replaced.

Further advantages are inherent in my invention and how those as well as the objects hereinabove stated are achieved will be best understood from the following detailed description of a presently preferred embodiment, for which purpose I shall refer to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a longitudinal sectional view;

Fig. 2 is a cross section on line 2--2 of Fig. 1; and

3 is a cross section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

In the drawing I show at T a tube being cleaned by device, which tube may typify a gun barrel or other object, within which I reciprocate and rotate my cleaning apparatus now to be described.

The cleaning apparatus comprises a tubular mandrel 5 having a longitudinal bore 6 adapted to pass a cleaning agentsuch, for instance, as steam and a suitable solvent. Solvents suitable for use are well known in the art and vary in accordance with the cleaning operation to be performed.

I secure on the mandrel a plurality of radial brushes l spaced apart by sleeves 8. The ends of the mandrel are threaded and on the outer end I hread a closure cap it and a lock nut H, the lock nut be'ng between the cap and the outermost brush. A resilient bumper cap, such as of rubber. is mounted over the cap it. On the inner end of the mandrel I thread an internally threaded adapter 58 for connection of the device to a tubular operating and fluid supply member 21' The member 20 may be of any desired size and shape and is adapted to be connected, as by a hose, not shown, to a source of cleaning fluid under pressure, not shown.

The brushes are non-ro-tatably secured on the mandrel in any suitable manner. For instance, I show them as held against rotation by being clamped between the 1ock nut I l and the adapter it, although other well known means such as conventional keys may be used for the purpose.

Between adjacent brushes I provide radial fluid discharge ports 25, which extend through the mandrel and sleeves and discharge into the respective chambers 0 provided between adjacent brushes, and within the cap Hi I provide a chamber 30 which is in communication with the outer end of the mandrel bore, radial fluid discharge ports 3| being provided through the cap and chamber.

In operation, a cleaning agent under pressure, such as steam and a suitable solvent, is introduced through the operating member 20 and the device is preferably manually reciprocated and rotated along the tube T. The cleaning agent is discharged through ports 25 and is substantially trapped within the chambers C between brushes so that pools or bodies of the fluid are brought into direct contact with the inner surface of the tube, While a sufficient amount of it enters the brushes. The brushes serve to loosen the foreign matter being cleaned from the surface of the tube and it is collected within the chambers C. For instance, as the device is pushed longitudinally along the tube, the tube surface being cleaned is alternately subjected to the action of the respective brushes 1 and the pools of fluid within the respective chambers C. As the device is finally withdrawn from the tube, a final washing action is caused by the fluid dis-. charged through ports 3! against the inner surface of the tube beyond the outermost brush, thus finally removing any deposit which has been loosened but not removed by the process.

I have found in operation that my device provides a greatly improved cleaning operation by virtue of this alternating brushing and exposure of the tube surface to pools of solvent and cleaning fluid within the chambers between the brushes.

To remove the brushes for repair or replacement it is only necessary to remove either the adapter is or the lock nut H and cap H3, in either of which events the brushes and sleeves may be longitudinally withdrawn from the mandrel.

The spacer sleeves 3 are rotatable relative to the mandrel when not under longitudinal compression between lock nut II and adapter l6, so that the discharge ports 25 in the mandrel and sleeves may be moved into partial or full register to regulate the fluid pressure. For instance, if the bristles become worn or if a tube being cleaned is slightly oversize, greater fluid pressure in the chambers 0 tends to compress the brush A tube cleaner adapted to be moved along the tube interior comprising a mandrel having a longitudinal fluid passing bore, a pair of radial brushes mounted on and spaced apart longitudinally of the mandrel and providing a space for fluid therebetween, a radial fluid discharge port in the mandrel, a sleeve mounted on the mandrel between the brushes, a radial port in the sleeve registering with said discharge port whereby to pass fluid to the chamber, a closure cap threadedly mounted on the outer end of the mandrel beyond the outermost brush, said cap having a bore providing a fluid chamber in communication with the mandrel bore, a radial fluid outlet port in the cap communicating at its outer end with the last-named chamber, and a resilient bumper cap mounted on the closure cap, said bumper cap having a port registering with the fluid outlet port in the closure cap.

CARL A. STINE. 

